Last night Jesse wanted to watch Rooster Cogburn and I didn't. So instead of kicking her out of the living room which is what I usually do, I decided to retreat to the bedroom to find something on TV a little less John Wayneish. There really wasn't anything else on, I flipped through the channels a million times though.
I heard Jesse calling for me from Molly's room, I went to see what she wanted and she is sprawled across the bed lengthwise and is inspecting the wall on the other side of the mattress. I got up close to see what she was looking at and she said:
"Is this mold?"
FUCK
"Well, it looks like mold."
I got closer, "and it smells like mold too."
Then I noticed that the paint was bubbled and I started to pick at it a little, then I was able to pull off about an 8 inch section of paint in one tug. What did I see?
MOLD! Nasty black mold and wet mushy sheet rock.
FUUUUUUUCK!
The outside water faucet in the front of the house is right at the corner of Molly's room. It leaked. It leaked for a long time. I finally told Jesse that if we don't get it fixed we were going to have a foundation problem. So we got it fixed and we thought that was going to be the end of it. But no. Not just no, but fuck no. Life would not give us a break on this one. Apparently the faucet leaked more than we thought because the moisture had to travel through brick, concrete, insulation and sheet rock and then through about 8 layers of paint.
Then Jesse pulled off a HUGE section of paint to reveal just how bad the mold was. The stench was so overwhelming I had to leave the room. The mold is bad y'all. Real bad.
So I called a lesbian friend of mine who renovates houses for a living and asked her opinion on the matter. Were going to have to tear out the infected area plus a foot extra in every direction and make sure that it all dries out. Treat any leftover moldy areas like brick or the studs to make sure the mold is indeed dead, then put up new insulation, sheet rock, tape, mud and paint, etc..etc.. physical labor, sweating, cursing and achy sore muscles. Yeehaw. And since Molly has developed her own personality since I squeezed her out we had eventual (key word is eventual) plans to turn her cowgirl themed bedroom into a princess themed bedroom so we might as well do that while were tearing out half of the walls. Can I get a yeehaw?
Did I mention that we are in the middle, the VERY MIDDLE of renovating the den? And did I mention that we were planning to renovate the living room right after the den? Were not just talking about slapping a new coat of paint on the walls, the den is being completely remodeled and we will repaint the living room, tear out and replace all of the trim and crown molding, new window treatments and new hard wood floors!
I will practically have a new house when this is finished. Now all I need is to finish the other half of the bathroom (we have a new tub, toilet, sink & faucet), re-model our bedroom and Eugene's room and it will be a brand new house. Were also getting a flat screen TV. Yeehaw.
So, if you haven't heard from me in a while, it will be safe to assume that Jesse got sick of me complaining about all of the work and beat me to death with a paintbrush roller.
Can I get a yeehaw?
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Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Matters of the heart
Not love. Heart disease. My co-worker had a health scare and it made me think about my own mortality. I know that I will die someday. I'm hoping that it will be in my sleep, of natural causes and when I'm elderly. But we all know it doesn't always work out that way. I think it happens a lot less than people imagine.
Of all of the people in my family that have died (and there have been many) only one of those people died peacefully in their sleep (and who really knows for sure if it was peaceful because she was alone). The rest? Heart disease. It sucks. I feel like I'm doomed because not one person in my family (who did not commit suicide, thats a whole other story) has died from something other than heart disease on both sides of my family. Double doomed. Does cancer run in my family? Don't know. No one lives long enough to get cancer.
DOOMED, but I would like to be doomed at an older age than the rest of my family and the only way to do that is to get healthy. I already quit smoking but I am like a ton of other people and I am way too heavy. Food is my drug of choice, my lover, my confidant, my security blanket. I've been leaning on my confidant too much because it shows in the form of a closet full of clothes that I can longer squeeze my ass into.
So I started taking baby steps. I have had oatmeal for breakfast 3 times this week AND I did not slather it with butter. I used on packet of Splenda and one small pat of butter. That has to be better than a sausage egg McMuffin right? Or Bavarian cream filled donuts or that damn breakfast burrito that is so stinkin yummy. I need a napkin, I'm drooling.
I have also tried to reduce the amount of food I eat because I can eat like a football player y'all. It's not even funny. There was this incident at IHOP over the weekend and I have forbidden Jesse to speak about it. Not even to me. I'm in the process of suppressing that memory.
The good news? I have lost 2.5 lbs in 4 days. THAT to me, is amazing. I just need to get through the weekend without frying something. For those of you who are from the South, you know what I mean.
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Of all of the people in my family that have died (and there have been many) only one of those people died peacefully in their sleep (and who really knows for sure if it was peaceful because she was alone). The rest? Heart disease. It sucks. I feel like I'm doomed because not one person in my family (who did not commit suicide, thats a whole other story) has died from something other than heart disease on both sides of my family. Double doomed. Does cancer run in my family? Don't know. No one lives long enough to get cancer.
DOOMED, but I would like to be doomed at an older age than the rest of my family and the only way to do that is to get healthy. I already quit smoking but I am like a ton of other people and I am way too heavy. Food is my drug of choice, my lover, my confidant, my security blanket. I've been leaning on my confidant too much because it shows in the form of a closet full of clothes that I can longer squeeze my ass into.
So I started taking baby steps. I have had oatmeal for breakfast 3 times this week AND I did not slather it with butter. I used on packet of Splenda and one small pat of butter. That has to be better than a sausage egg McMuffin right? Or Bavarian cream filled donuts or that damn breakfast burrito that is so stinkin yummy. I need a napkin, I'm drooling.
I have also tried to reduce the amount of food I eat because I can eat like a football player y'all. It's not even funny. There was this incident at IHOP over the weekend and I have forbidden Jesse to speak about it. Not even to me. I'm in the process of suppressing that memory.
The good news? I have lost 2.5 lbs in 4 days. THAT to me, is amazing. I just need to get through the weekend without frying something. For those of you who are from the South, you know what I mean.
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Pregnancy Part 3 - Week 5 through 8
Week 4 - July 28th - August 3rd
-Well, my stomach has been feeling pretty crummy. It feels hungry all the time, but then I can't eat much. Started having terrible pains in my stomach, I was paranoid but hopeful. I went in for an ultrasound on Aug 2nd, no cysts, everything looked good, but couldn't find a sac because it was too early. I'll go back Friday for another ultrasound and another beta. I hope we can see something by then. Every time I eat something my stomach hurts like hell, I'm thinking it's gastritis. I may overdose on Tums.
-Feeling better, no major stomach issues, I have been able to eat without too much of a problem. My pregnancy symptoms seemed to have minimized a bit. This worries me to no end. I also had a bit of spotting on the morning of Aug 4th, but nothing since. I'm belching and farting like a truck driver. How sexy am I?
Week 5 - August 4th- August 10th
-I had an ultrasound today and we got to see the gestational sac. WHAT A RELIEF! My hcg jumped to 2275 and my progesterone went back up to 29. Everything looked fantastic! Because I have a fibroid in my uterus my RE mentioned that I "may" be at a slight higher risk for a C-section. BUT everything looked GREAT!!! I go back for another ultrasound to find the heartbeat on August 15th. Here's a pic of our precious little one!
-All is well except for some constant mild cramping - which could be anything at this point. I've had some dizziness, a bit of morning sickness, and a lot of fatigue. Jesse seems to have all of the symptoms right along with me. She's being a great sport about it, she's very excited and pats or touches my belly a lot.
Week 6 - August 11th - August 17th
-On Monday August 15 we are officially 6 weeks and 4 days and we saw the heartbeat! Yeah, it was such a relief to see that little heartbeat! I think we can breathe a little easier now and can relax a bit and try to start enjoying this pregnancy. My risk for miscarriage goes down to 10%, so were still cautious, but so very optimistic!!!!
-Well, my stomach has been feeling pretty crummy. It feels hungry all the time, but then I can't eat much. Started having terrible pains in my stomach, I was paranoid but hopeful. I went in for an ultrasound on Aug 2nd, no cysts, everything looked good, but couldn't find a sac because it was too early. I'll go back Friday for another ultrasound and another beta. I hope we can see something by then. Every time I eat something my stomach hurts like hell, I'm thinking it's gastritis. I may overdose on Tums.
-Feeling better, no major stomach issues, I have been able to eat without too much of a problem. My pregnancy symptoms seemed to have minimized a bit. This worries me to no end. I also had a bit of spotting on the morning of Aug 4th, but nothing since. I'm belching and farting like a truck driver. How sexy am I?
Week 5 - August 4th- August 10th
-I had an ultrasound today and we got to see the gestational sac. WHAT A RELIEF! My hcg jumped to 2275 and my progesterone went back up to 29. Everything looked fantastic! Because I have a fibroid in my uterus my RE mentioned that I "may" be at a slight higher risk for a C-section. BUT everything looked GREAT!!! I go back for another ultrasound to find the heartbeat on August 15th. Here's a pic of our precious little one!
-All is well except for some constant mild cramping - which could be anything at this point. I've had some dizziness, a bit of morning sickness, and a lot of fatigue. Jesse seems to have all of the symptoms right along with me. She's being a great sport about it, she's very excited and pats or touches my belly a lot.
Week 6 - August 11th - August 17th
-On Monday August 15 we are officially 6 weeks and 4 days and we saw the heartbeat! Yeah, it was such a relief to see that little heartbeat! I think we can breathe a little easier now and can relax a bit and try to start enjoying this pregnancy. My risk for miscarriage goes down to 10%, so were still cautious, but so very optimistic!!!!
Week 7 - August 18th - August 24th
-Morning sickness hit with a massive boom last night. The nausea carried over to today, but it was much better after lunch. Still feeling tired, and I'm already popping out of my shirts. A friend of mine is loaning me some maternity clothes, I will pick those up today, I can't WAIT! I get to have fun tonight going through all of them. Only 5 more weeks and I will be past the 12 weeks mark. The "safe zone".
-Had a bit of a scare over the weekend with pretty bad cramping and spotting. I called the on-call OB and she told me to rest all weekend and to go to the ER if things got really bad. So I rested all weekend, and by Monday morning the spotting had stopped, but I called my RE anyway. I was able to go in for another ultrasound and we saw a strong heartbeat and couldn't find any problems at all. The cramps come and go and basically I just have to deal with them. Morning (evening) sickness is still a bit of a problem. I'm having trouble finding stuff to eat that appeals to me. AND I've gained 4 lbs. I'm already wearing maternity clothes because I'm popping out EVERYWHERE.
-Morning sickness hit with a massive boom last night. The nausea carried over to today, but it was much better after lunch. Still feeling tired, and I'm already popping out of my shirts. A friend of mine is loaning me some maternity clothes, I will pick those up today, I can't WAIT! I get to have fun tonight going through all of them. Only 5 more weeks and I will be past the 12 weeks mark. The "safe zone".
-Had a bit of a scare over the weekend with pretty bad cramping and spotting. I called the on-call OB and she told me to rest all weekend and to go to the ER if things got really bad. So I rested all weekend, and by Monday morning the spotting had stopped, but I called my RE anyway. I was able to go in for another ultrasound and we saw a strong heartbeat and couldn't find any problems at all. The cramps come and go and basically I just have to deal with them. Morning (evening) sickness is still a bit of a problem. I'm having trouble finding stuff to eat that appeals to me. AND I've gained 4 lbs. I'm already wearing maternity clothes because I'm popping out EVERYWHERE.
Here's another pic
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
Our Song
I forgot to name what our song is in my Cupid post. And boy did you guys let me know! LOL
Our song is Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash.
Our song is Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Odd things I notice
This is a snapshot of my home page.
In case you can't see it, it says "Jerry OyConnell"
Is that a Jewish/Irish thing?
Not funny? I thought it was funny. Maybe I'm just weird.
Pay no attention to the lopsided arrow.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
How Cupid made me cry
I am very verbal about the fact that Jesse and I do not celebrate Valentines Day. It's a Hallmark holiday made up by some sentimental jerk off in order to make us feel bad that we don't appreciate and adore our significant other the other 364 days of the year. Not that I have a strong opinion on that or anything.
I hate the holiday. Plain and simple. The chocolates, the cards, the red and pink hearts. It's an assault on the senses. No one should have to see that much red and pink at one time. Don't even get me started on the jewelry commercials on TV. SWEAR TO GOD I WILL HIT YOU WITH A PINK BOX FULL OF CHOCOLATES.
So imagine how verklempt I was when I got up on Saturday morning and there was a card and a gift sitting on the kitchen table. If you could read my thoughts, there would have been a comment bubble above my head with this in it:
"Honey, what is this? We don't celebrate Valentines Day."
"I know, but since I blew it on your birthday AND Christmas, I thought I would take the opportunity to make it up to you."
That is when a tiny tear formed in my eye, my heart (pink I'm sure) began to melt and I got all mushy. FUCKING VALENTINES DAY! On the inside I was shaking my fist at Cupid, the little fucker.
The card played a song when you opened it, and of course, it was "our song". Which just made me want to melt into a puddle right then and there. I love our song. It's so...... different. I have never in my life known this song to be anyone else's song. Of course. We may just be odd.
I hate the holiday. Plain and simple. The chocolates, the cards, the red and pink hearts. It's an assault on the senses. No one should have to see that much red and pink at one time. Don't even get me started on the jewelry commercials on TV. SWEAR TO GOD I WILL HIT YOU WITH A PINK BOX FULL OF CHOCOLATES.
So imagine how verklempt I was when I got up on Saturday morning and there was a card and a gift sitting on the kitchen table. If you could read my thoughts, there would have been a comment bubble above my head with this in it:
WTF???
"Honey, what is this? We don't celebrate Valentines Day."
"I know, but since I blew it on your birthday AND Christmas, I thought I would take the opportunity to make it up to you."
That is when a tiny tear formed in my eye, my heart (pink I'm sure) began to melt and I got all mushy. FUCKING VALENTINES DAY! On the inside I was shaking my fist at Cupid, the little fucker.
The card played a song when you opened it, and of course, it was "our song". Which just made me want to melt into a puddle right then and there. I love our song. It's so...... different. I have never in my life known this song to be anyone else's song. Of course. We may just be odd.
The gift made me leave the room and cry. You see, when she wants to, Jesse can bring me to my knees and and make me weep. She is just an amazing person. I am so very lucky. She bought me a flag display box for my fathers flag. Just typing this out makes my throat hurt and my eyes well up.
My dad has been gone for almost 3 years and I've been asking for a box for about the last year. It took me that long just to be able to get the words out without choking on them.
My dad has been gone for almost 3 years and I've been asking for a box for about the last year. It took me that long just to be able to get the words out without choking on them.
She got me a box for his flag. I'm overwhelmed with joy and sadness at the same time. I miss him so very much every day. He missed out on my beautiful daughter and she will never know her papa and they really would have liked each other. I'm certain of that.
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